Monday 09 February 2009 at 08:56 am
What can one say about the fires currently burning out of control through Victoria? The loss of life – 100 confirmed dead so far, the infernos ripping through homes, forest, farmland. It's an absolute tragedy. We grieve for our fellow Victorians who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods. The conditions were worse than Ash Wednesday in 1983. Hotter than Black Friday in 1939. Presumably once the smoke clears, there will be an inquiry, and climate change has to be on the agenda.
At 46.4 degrees Melbourne’s maximum temperature on 7 February was the highest ever recorded. It’s almost a degree hotter than the previous all time record and smashed the previous February record by 3 degrees. The state is so dry – over a decade of drought. We can shore up our water supplies by building desalination plants, (and adding to energy usage and climate change) but we can’t just ‘ fix’ our natural environment. We are destroying it.
It makes climate change real and tangible – maybe even to the skeptics. I heard of one avid Andrew Bolt reader who whilst sweltering in the heat said he thought he may have been following a false prophet . If our political leaders have any brains at all they must realise the need for serious action at emergency speed to tackle our climate emergency– the fact they are not taking it shows just how beholden they are to the greenhouse mafia of the coal industry and others
Wednesday 04 February 2009 at 4:48 pm
I’ve just returned from a fabulous weekend at the climate summit in Canberra, bringing together over 500 climate change activists from 150 Climate Action Groups together, to plan a joint platform and joint actions for the coming year and beyond.
We agreed on some very radical but scarily necessary objectives for the campaign – to work to scrap the government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, to campaign for 100% renewable energy for Australia by 2020, and for Australia to play its part in recreating a safe climate, by stabilising atmospheric carbon at 300ppm – that means taking carbon out of the atmosphere, and will allow the Arctic to refreeze. Have a read of more of my thoughts about the Summit here.
Forest Destruction on Brown Mountain
Just before Christmas the Victorian Government began logging majestic wild forest at Brown Mountain in East Gippsland. Their plans to continue the destruction are currently on hold because activists have found evidence of threatened species in the forest areas due to be logged. Brown Mountain has a special place in my heart – it was where we organised protest actions against logging in 1990 – and where on being totally sold out by the Labor Party both at a state and federal level I threw myself in establishing The Greens in Victoria. I’ve written a piece that explains the sellout by the Federal Government then – and how the Labor Party just haven’t changed a bit in the intervening 19 years.
Farewelling Council
I finished up on Maribyrnong Council at the end of November last year. I enjoyed my six years but it was time to move on. I’ve had some immense satisfaction including my work on sustainable transport and success in Council’s commitment to go carbon neutral by 2015. A quick summary of what I feel I achieved during my six year term is here. One of the big factors in my decision to move on was that being an active effective Councillor needs at least 30-40 hours a week, but you only get paid an allowance of $15 500. You can do it for so long, but not indefinitely. The allowance has now gone up to $20 000 but realistically it will only be when being a Councillor pays $30 000 or more that most people will be able to afford to put their hand up to be elected.
What’s in store for me in 2009?
I’m still working this out! I’m planning to stand for pre-selection for the lead senate candidate for The Greens Victoria. Nominations open next month, and the candidate is chosen by postal ballot of all Greens Members in May. Please contact me if you’d like to know more about this.
Other than this I’m aiming to work half time as a facilitator to earn some money – see my CV . I’ve currently got some available time, so if you or your colleagues need some facilitating done give me a hoy. And then with the rest of my time I’m planning on campaigning on climate change and transport.
- I’m now the Convenor of the Greens Victoria Transport and Planning Working Group – send me an email if you’re interested in joining. A key task for this year is working on a community campaign to run alongside the Parliamentary Inquiry into Melbourne and Victoria’s train service which Upper House Greens MP Greg Barber is initiating.
- I’ve taken on some work following the Climate Action Summit – specifically working on a local government action kit, and working on communications messages and materials.
- I’m helping to get the Western Community Action Network – WeCan! off the ground. We are planning an action for 28 February in the Yarraville Gardens focused on the Wonthaggi desalination plant. Click here for more info.
- I’m working with No Freeway for West Footscray on planning the campaign against the proposed road tunnel under Footscray.
- I’m currently doing some work with the GAMUT Centre (Governance and Management of Urban Transport) at Melbourne University aimed at forming the Sustainable Melbourne Alliance for Transport and Urbanism. Stay tuned for more details!
- As Convenor for the Western Suburbs Region of The Greens I’ll be encouraging and helping all members in the region to be campaigning strongly on critical issues such as claimte change, transport, water and gambling
